it's monday morning, september 24th, 2012, and we are in the heart of mid-town manhattan, kicking off the first full workweek of fall. starting off really nicely here. hopefully where you are as well. i'm matt lauer alongside al roker, and it's all boys here this morning because savannah is about, what, six blocks from us here at the new york public library kicking off education nation. savannah? there she is. >> good morning. how important reading can be, fun for kids, of course, but

also can help them achieve a level playing room inside the classroom and later in life. here with me inside new york's public library some wonderful kids who are going to read a really great book this morning but also ashanty, the award-winning singer, the ambassador of read for the record which is a national campaign to celebrate literacy by breaking the world record for reading the same book on the same day. ashanty, good morning to you. >> good morning. >> tell me how you got involved with jump start, the organization that sponsors read for the record. >> it's a phenomenal program. i'm infatated with kids, love kids, and to give them the opportunity to read first and to find one in winning and succeed in school and being successful, it's like i want to be a part of that so it was a wonderful idea. >> the idea for read for the record for those who haven't heard is everybody on october 4th reads the same book. >> same book. >> and we're trying to set a world record. >> absolutely. >> the kids are holding, what is that bug, "lady bug girl and the bug squad." >> right.

>> why did you choose this book? >> i think it's a wonderful story. i think she looks amazing in her lady bug costume and shows togetherness. it's different characters, and they are having fun, and it teaches a lesson, and i think the kids will love the pictures. >> ashanti, before you were a grammy-award winning singer you were somebody who worked at a day care center. did these experiences with kids get you kind of wanting to be involved? >> absolutely. would i see the difference that it would make when you would read a book to a child that explains sharing, fighting over a toy, you can read a book and say this is what this person did and why we need to share and they would get it as opposed to telling them what you should do so i thought it was something really, really cool. >> and a great bonding experience for parents to snuggle up and read books. >> absolutely. that time and bonding with your child sun forgettable. >> do you have any favorite childhood books? >> mine is kind of weird. it was called "ananci the

spider," an ashanti folk tale. my aunt is like this is cool, basically about a spider, a dad spider who is tricky and finds himself in trouble, and he has six sons, six spider sons that have special powers and they end up getting him out of trouble. >> our point, when you get read, to you remember it all these years later. >> thank you. >> coming up in the next hour, more from the public library and we'll continue to read for the record. guys? >> some help here from moms who want to stay in shape from two-time mom, mother of two would be a easier way to put, that and fitness expert laila ali. >> that's right. and then we're so fortunate. carol burnett has decided to stick around and help us tackle our "take 3" so we'll be dealing with that. and we're going to check in on last night's emmy awards. all the fashion, all the highlights. it's all coming up just ahead. >> let's go inside. natalie is standing by at the news desk with a check of all the headlines. >> good morning, matt and al. good morning, everyone.

new jabs on the campaign trail this morning as president obama fires off a new tv ad slamming gop candidate mitt romney for not, quote, coming clean about his tax returns while criticizing americans who don't pay income taxes. romney has released just two years of his tax information. this as the presidential debates are just nine days away. a sweeping analysis of the genes behind breast cancer. scientists announced that they have found four major classes. disease. the new finding offers hope for better targeted treatments, possibly putting drugs already on the market to work, including one currently used to fight ovarian cancer. the study was published by the journal "nature." a winning streak went uninterrupted last night at the emmy awards as "modern family" took home the prize for best comedy for the third year in a row. top drama this year went to terrorism thriller "homeland." the show stars claire danes and damian lewis who also took the top acting awards but a strange new record for critically acclaimed "mad men," the show

had an unprecedented 17 nominations but zero wins. and it was a photo finish after a slow weekend at the box office. police drama "end of watch" took in an estimated $13 million and tied with "house at end of the street" and in third place, "trouble with the curve." a wild dash cam video, a truck swerves into oncoming traffic colliding into another rig and throwing its driver head first through its windshield. in the only does he survive unscathed, he managed to walk around the wreck and scratch his head in bemusement. pretty crazy. it's official. you like gangn"gangnam style," really, really liked "gangnam style." the video not viral but epidemic. psy's mega hit is the most liked youtube video everywhere. the korean superstar holds the

record for 2.6 million likes and counting and even with the views, not the most watched video of all time, not yet but give it some time. a 4-year-old's imagination is soaring thanks to his dad who attached the boy's favorite toy train stanley and a video camera to a weather balloon. stanley soared 18 miles above the earth until the balloon burst and he fell safely into a farm field. oh, there he goes. his dad used gps tracking to find stanley and then added animation to make the train's eyes come alive with the same sense of wonder his son must have felt. very cool story. since minutes after the hour right now. stanley got home safe. let's take -- turn it over to al for a check of the weather. >> wow. >> wow, what an imagination and great dad, i'll tell. >> you that is dad of the year. >> i'll tell you. >> let's see what we've got for you today. we are looking at a gorgeous day in the east. we do have some rain making its way through the central rockies.

also a front has been hanging down in southern florida. they continue to get more rain.. today, a beautiful fall day along the eastern seaboard. windy around the great lakes. smoky conditions still continue out west due to those wildfires. we're looking at rain in the central rockies. that's what's going on around the country. here's what's happening in your neck of the woods. >> around here the fall party continues with cool crisp conditions this morning. 61 is the temperature. at reagan national airport. the air again dry with very light wind. we'll see a high temperature today going up to 70 degrees with loads of sunshine. a few high clouds tomorrow. the high, 76. we're at 82 on wednesday. our warmest day out of the workweek with a little bit of rain coming in. late wednesday, probably after the sun sets, into early thursday morning. next weekend is ♪ >> al, thank you. now to today's "take 3" where al and i each give our take on the

stories that catch our attention and yours. joining us this morning, none other than the legendary comic genius carol burnett. were so excited about that, and "e news" correspondent jason kennedy. >> this is so exciting. sitting with carol burnett. >> history in the making. >> pinch me. >> okay. >> it's happening. >> you pinch me. >> we need it. let's talk first about the emmys. carol, of course, your show won 25 emmys, but i was noticing some of the red carpet trends which we saw earlier, and it seems like there's a new trend for red carpet poses, and that is the leg exposed. did you see the heidi klum sea foam green dress. >> did it beautifully. >> whoa. >> yes. very hot on the red carpet. >> yes. >> so she needed some ventilation. >> like 94 degrees. >> hot out there. >> she needed some ventilation, but i'm okay with it as a guy. >> is this the new angelina jolie moment? are we going to see this forever, do you think? >> i think so. it's not going anywhere. i mean, angelina started it, and

we've seen it. this isn't the first time we've seen it. >> during the emmys, you could hear that knocking sound. it was the song of seal banging his head against the wall. what the heck was i thinking? >> i think you call this a revenge dress. >> a revenge look all around. >> you went to the emmys. would you wear something like that? >> well, you know, there's enough violence in the world without me trying to show off like that i think. >> but things have really changed though. >> you know, i could do it. >> yeah. that's what i'm talking about. >> there we go. >> i think you just beat angelina jolie to the punch there. >> well, i shaved my legs this morning. >> we're happy to know that. >> meanwhile, al, you can't take it. >> that's right. this is the moment we've been waiting. i can't take it! i am tired, the emmy awards,

it's not fair to the broadcast networks i think, that they have to compete against cable shows that can get away with a lot of violence, nudity. >> yeah. >> swearing. >> yeah. >> it's hard for a comedy show or a drama. >> maybe there should be two different categories. >> i think so. >> or two different shows. >> used to be the ace cable awards and then the emmys. how can you compete, like "veep," julia louis-dreyfus, very funny show, but there's a lot of swearing in it. >> but we're seeing a lot of that on network shows these days, too. cable has upped everybody's came though, don't you think? >> to a certain extent, but you're still not seeing what you get to see on like -- >> on the paid channels, right. >> i don't know. "boardwalk empire." never seen a woman do car maintenance nude, but yet they do on "boardwalk empire." >> and it would change the timing of the show. i mean, iouldn't mind a two-hour emmy show. three sometimes is pushing it, in my opinion. >> yeah. >> can you imagine if you would

have been able to do nudity during "the carol burnett show," i'm just wondering. harvey korman. >> what is this all about? >> the leg showing, nudity. what are you getting yourself into carol? >> and then i've got to shave my kiss. >> let's move on to lady gaga and much ado about her weight gain, talking about 20 pounds, a big fan of her father's restaurant here in new york city, and she couldn't help herself, but now she's coming out. of course, she wore this getup last week when she made an appearance, but now she's coming out and saying, hey, i'm embracing my curves, and to all the girls that think you're ugly because you're not a size zero, you're the beautiful one, it's society who is ugly, so she's making a statement, you know, out of the weight gain and all of that. >> she tweeted she does not feel bad for this. 25 pounds for her is not a bad thing. sometimes she struggles with her weight. been very skinny in the past and open about her eating disorders,

but i don't think it's a big deal. >> but she's going on a diet, right? >> good for her. >> good for her, exactly. >> embrace it. >> totally. >> i think she's going on a diet so she's sending sort of a mixed message here. >> but also wearing these outfits that magnify and that's why we're talking about it, wearing fish nets and then -- >> then she made this. this is a statement dress. >> what would you call that, al? >> i don't even know what that is, like pepto-bismol. >> when you did your show, you were constantly working. there was a grind for that show. you guys probably didn't get a chance to eat almost. >> oh, no. actually we did it like a live show. we rehearsed all week, and then we did two shows on friday, and we were out in time to have dinner, and -- and one time i was asked to figure out how many hours a week i worked. 30. >> 30 hours a week. >> a week. >> that's like a part-time job. >> yeah. >> we had it down, so we never

did retakes. >> that's why you were that quick. >> don't have to do that here either. >> what do you think about lady gaga though? have you seen it done before? >> i love her. i think she's great. >> original? >> very talented, yeah, very talented. i love her voice, i love her playing, all of that. i think she's great. >> you know what i think, honestly, we make so much ado about all of these celebrities when they gain weight, when they lose weight. i mean, the reality is the american woman fluktnates weight all the time. >> absolutely. >> as does the american guy. >> as does the american guy. you're getting pregnant and have the babies and you're going to put on the weight and take it off eventually or gain even more. >> your show had one of the more classic theme songs ever. >> yes. >> we loved that song. you don't hear tv theme songs anymore? >> don't you. >> not really. >> not really good ones like yours. >> we sang ours, too. i sang it, and i don't know how many did that. >> did you have input into it? >> the song. no, my husband wrote it.

he was a special material writer before he became a producer at the time, yeah. ♪ i'm so glad we had this time together ♪ >> that's kind of what we're diagnosis. >> doing our favorite tv theme songs. >> so jason, what's yours? >> i'm still in the moment. i'm going to go with "full house." >> "full house." >> i can't even think of the "full house" theme song. >> it was the family. we gathered around friday night. remember that. >> that's how young you are, that that was your theme song. >> the same size as the olsen twins, right? >> mary kate, ashley and i all grew up together. >> class ic. >> "the jeffersons." >> mary's. >> "who can turn the world on with her smile." >> and yours is. >> "brady bunc" >> the whole concept. ♪ here's the storiy of a lovely lady ♪ >> and we know who yours is, al. >> i listen to it every morning

before i come in. >> al is obsessed. >> it's "the a-team." . cellnet ♪ >> they said make sure you ask al about his. it's strange, very strange pick. >> why is that strange? >> every guy of a certain age loved this show. >> and you knew what to expect with that theme song, power, strength. >> things blowing up. >> the team. >> at the end of the day they would make an attack vehicle out of something in a garage and win the day. >> right. >> savannah's was "masterpiece theater." >> how odd is that? >> put me to sleep personally. >> savannah's at the public library right now, as we play the theme song. she's reading away to kids. carol burnett, jason kennedy, thank you guys so much. >> thank you. >> thank you for sticking around for us, carol, really appreciate it. coming up next, and the emmy goes to hits and misses from last night's emmy awards right after this. ♪

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los angeles rolled out the red carpet last night for the 46th annual primetime emmy awards. nbc's kristen dahlgren is in los angeles with the hey lights, including one show that made history by not winning. kristen? >> reporter: yeah, good morning, al. you might be able to hear us dissembling the bleachers behind me. about to roll up the red carpet so this is one for the history books. speaking of history, you mentioned it. "mad men" could have won history for winning its fifth straight best drama emmy. instead made history for having 17 nominations and not having a single win.

just like a good drama this, year's emmys had twists. >> and the emmy goes to "homeland." >> reporter: the surprise winner derailing "mad men" which had won best drama the past nour years. >> half the government is going to be in one spot, westbound we've got a terrorist on the loose. >> the biggest night of my career. >> reporter: "homeland" also won for outstanding writing and claire danes won best actress in a drama for her role on the show president obama says is one of his favorites. >> so stupefied by the fact that he's tuning in consistently. >> reporter: "homeland" clean sweep included british actor damian lewis winning top honors for his starring role stopping brianiansstonerton from a fourth straight emmy and sending another actor home empty handed for the fifth time. surprises for comedies, too. >> something has clearly gone wrong. >> reporter: jon cryer won best actor for "two and a half men," but there was no surprise when the outstanding comedy prize

went to "modern family" both of its stars bringing home best supporting honors. >> sofia, a gracious wonderful woman and is probably the only reason why i'm even able to wear a curvy fishtail dress so i owe her a lot. >> reporter: also a big night for "game change," the hbo production awarded outstanding miniseries, outstanding writing. >> i've been dying to talk to the press. >> reporter: and julianne moore best actress in a miniseries for her portrayal of sarah palin. >> i feel so validated because sarah palin gave me a big thumbs down. >> reporter: julia louis-dreyfus won best actress in a comedy drama for her role on "veep." >> people say that this show is a comedy, and yet i don't see anything funny about me being vice president of the united states. >> reporter: and funny man jimmy kimmel won mixed reviews for his hosting duties. including a controversial mock of the usual in memorium section

with josh groban singing a living tribute to the host. ♪ that's what makes you beautiful ♪ >> i will be missed. >> the jury is still out on whether kimmel will be missed, whether he'll be asked back to do it another year. one thing is certain though, al, when we're here next year "homeland" is going to be the show to beat. >> kristen dahlgren, thanks so much. still ahead, the hidden germs in the classroom, but first these messages. ♪ germs, germs, germs, germs, germs, germs ♪ at kfc we have on: [ beep ] 15 seconds and counting. serve the world's best-tasting chicken. t-minus 10... that's why our whole chicken is delivered fresh. 9...8... and prepared fresh by real cooks 7... t-5. all systems go. 4... with kfc's world famous secret recipes. preparation complete... 3... 2...1... taste for yourself why fresh is better. mission accomplished. try our new freshly hand-breaded premium breast meat original recipe bites today.

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because you get the same phones, you feel richer same networks for half the cost of a contract plan. and this saturday you can feel even richer. just stop by walmart and take a one-minute demo of our new lg optimus zip. for every demo we'll donate one dollar to make-a-wish with the goal of raising up to a million dollars for children with life-threatening medical conditions. demo the phone at walmart and we'll donate a million. find out more at one-minute-one-million-dot-com. straight talk wireless. available only at walmart. still to come on "today," keeping in shape and losing weight after the baby is born and joining us fitness expert and mother of two laila ali is here with some strategies.

>> for all moms out there and some dads could use it, too. fresh and seasonal pasta in the kitchen to warm you up for fall. that's all coming up after your local news and weather. ♪ you do ♪ something to me ♪ that nobody else could do

yep...doh. [ boy ] slurpably fun and a good source of calcium. dads who get it, get go-gurt. breaking news at 9:26. police on the scene of a school bus crash in rockville. chopper 4 over the intersection of great falls road and maryland avenue now. we're told six people on the bus are being taken to the hospital with minor injuries. let's check the rest of the roads. >> also seeing a problem if you're taking the beltway outer loop exiting on to colesville road southbound, crash there, only allows one lane, so you're sharing with the other travelers. please use caution. >> w

october and september, that what's it feels like outside. the temperature, 61. we still have some other reads just north and west in the 50s now.

55 in resten and rockville at 52 degrees. today's high temperature, 70 degrees. tomorrow, 76. a little warmer. then up to 82 on wednesday with rain late.

>> how come you don't have changing tables in the bathrooms? >> because this is a bar, and you're not supposed to have children here. >> they will little fake i.d.s if that helps. >> that's the cast of the new nbc comedy "guys with kids." we'll catch up with a guy behind the laughs, jimmy fallon, executive producer. he'll be here tomorrow on "today." i'm al roker along with natalie morales. we'll check in with savannah at the new york public library in just a moment. >> just ahead battling baby weight and beyond. it's tough and stressful for many moms, and even someone like fitness expert and mother of two young children laila ali. she has five tips for all mothers to help drop some pounds. >> usually dads gain some

weight. >> sympathy weight. we all go through it together. >> you've got kids in school. >> yeah. >> i do, too. >> our little ones could be coming home sick and bringing home all kinds of germs. >> can you hear it in my voice? yes, this is what i caught from them, yes. >> where are the germs in school really lurking? you will be surprised and disgusted. we're going to show you how you can protect your kids in just a little bit. >> all right. a little bit later we'll head into the kitchen for some hearty pasta recipes that are perfect for school nights. making pasta boulognese with white sauce. first let's check in with savannah at nbc's education nation at the public library. hi, savannah. >> good morning to you. once again we're here at the public library on education nation, and we're highlighting the critical need for early education. it can really make a difference. just reading to your children can make a huge difference. the president and ceo of jump

start joins us and jed bennett represents the organization's partner the penguin young readers group. good morning to both of you. >> good morning. >> read for the record is a great event you do every year and the idea, as we mentioned before, is read the same book, get as many people to do it and set a world record. why do you think this makes a difference? >> as you said, it's the world's largest shared reading experience, so people come to celebrate literacy, and i think maybe more importantly is actually the call of attention to the critical need for early childhood education. we know that children enter kindergarten already significantly behind their more affluent peers, as much as 18 months behind, and once children start behind they tend to stay behind. so this whole campaign is part of a wider effort by jump start to call attention to the issue and to ensure that children are entering kindergarten with the core language and literacy skills they need to succeed. >> your celebrity ambassador ashanti is reading the book to kids. the book is "lady bug girl and

the bug squad." is there a committee? how do you pick the book? >> we work to choose the book each year, a book with universal themes, making friends, knowing when to say you're sorry, imagine naplay, things all kids can relate to. >> what can people do to learn more about these efforts? hopefully you're hoping it spurns something beyond the one day, october 4th. >> we want people to read with us on october 4th. number one, pledge to read and do that by going to our website which is jstart.org. pledge to read with us, read to your own children, children in the neighborhood, a kindergarten classroom in your neighborhood and get involved in these efforts and make sure that you recognize the importance of early education. >> well, a little bit can really make a difference. it's great to talk to you. thank you so much, and thanks to ashanti, too. >> thank you. >> natalie and al, back to you. >> hey, savannah, you're in the library.

>> yes. >> ssssh. >> i know, i know, no talking in the library, and you know i don't have an inside voice either. >> that's right. >> all right. of the weather for us please. >> that's what's going on around the country. here's your neck of the woods. >> around here, folks are grabbing their jacket. heading outdoors. it is a nippy one. 61, the current temperature, reagan national airport. the air dry with a very light breeze just out of the north there, 8 miles per hour. throughout the area from the north down to the south we're seeing reading, in the 50s. current currently, it's 53 degrees in montgomery county. rockville 57. 57 in annapolis maryland. a little warmer tomorrow and and that's your latest weather. >> thank you, al. coming up next, fitness expert and mom laila ali right after this. we put a week's worth of bad odors in a home. some aerosols may just mix with them. can febreze really remove them? we asked real people what they thought. take a deep breath for me. describe the smell.

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shape? >> i think it has to be a priority, obviously being a mom, being a businesswoman, if it's not a priority the whole day will go by. won't work out, haven't eaten right. a constant work in progress for me. >> and you're the daughter of the champ, muhammad ali. so i imagine fitness came at an early age for you. you grew up with that. what was some of the advice that your father gave you? >> you know, my mom and my dad led by example. it was never like you have to do x, y and z. he was always working out, eating healthy so i watched that and i think that's important for us as parents to be a great role model. >> set that example. >> exactly. >> brought some tips for us this morning. at first you say is to focus on a healthy proegsy were. there some foods you stayed away from when you were pregnant, and what a some of the things you encourage women to do? >> a lot of women fall into the trip of saying i'm eating for two, i can eat anything and might as well eat whatever. focus on nourishing baby, eating things good for mom and baby, whole foods, grains, lean meats

and lots of fruits and veggies and water. you won't gain too much weight. you'll be in the healthy range of 25 to 35 pounds, unless you're underweight, obese or having twins. >> they say eat only 350 calories above what you normally eat per day so that's nothing. >> that's like a yogurt. >> like a starbucks drink which you shouldn't be having. >> exactly. >> set short and long-term goals. give me some examples of what could be a good short-term and long-term goal. >> once your doctor clears you to work out, six to eight weeks, depending on natural or c-section, have you to start walking, start stretching and feeling good again. that would be a short term to be committed to walk 30 minutes a day and work yourself up to it. once you start feeling better, getting your groove back, go to a gym, run, start toning and doing the abs and crunches and all that. >> once baby comes incorporate baby into routine so what are some things you can get your baby out there doing?

>> so many moms are saying they don't have time to work out, you know, because they are watching the baby or they are tired. trust me, i get it, i understand. we can do things with the baby. go walking. there's a great running stroller. that was my best friend, to tell you the truth. >> mine, too. >> exercises you can do. until the baby starts walking, of course, you can do pushups and planks, and chest press with your baby, and there's lots of programs for that. >> a lot of baby yoga classes as well. >> that's what i'm saying. coming out with everything for mom and baby. no excuses anymore, ladies. >> you say utilize the mom network. so many of us have friends who are going through the same thing, right? >> i mean, any time you utilize a network and have support from others going through the same thing as with you. a great website, strollerstrides, hook women up in different areas where they can go out and do stroller workouts and find support so definitely use that. >> stroller strides, a good organization. great, fun stuff. thanks so much. great tips. >> thank you. coming up next, from the classroom, to the lunchroom,

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this morning on "today's health," the germs secretly lurking in your child's school. 22 million school days are lost each year due to the common cold. how do you keep your children health? today contributor and author of "what the yuck" joins us. good to see you. >> good to see you, al. >> this is something we need to be worried about. >> we do. >> a child in school has an average of six to ten colds a year and when the child gets sick, parents follow missing school and work but a lot of things to do to minimize risk. >> one of the places you need the child to avoid is the public drinking fountain in school. >> this is number one. this is the germiest place in the school, worse by far than even the toilet seat because those are actually cleaned more often. >> so send your kid to the bathroom and drink -- >> okay. >> i wouldn't say that. ever seen a little child using one of these, their mouth is all over it. a film of dirt there. just avoid it at all costs. >> hard for the cleaning, the

custodial staff to keep these clean. >> a lot of crevices they don't clean well. best to give them their own water bottle. >> and tell them we find out it's good to share, don't share the water bottle. >> don't share water bottle. don't share food in general because that's something that you're touching with your hand. if you have a cold or something and someone else puts it in their mouth, they will get that cold. >> the cafeteria tray. >> okay. number two on the germiest list, so this has a lot of germs. >> seriously? >> it was, it was. not cleaned very well. sometimes the rags that are used to clean them, wet often when you get them and moisture, germs love moisture. if any food falls on to the tray loose, shouldn't be eating it. >> no three-second rule when it comes to the tray, absolutely not. >> lunch boxes. >> keep your child's food in a lunch box as opposed to loose in a backpack because that way it's separate from other food or keep is in a ziplock baggy.

>> and the backpacks. >> looked at my son's backpack, very dirty. >> take everything out, once a week, washing it or at least hopefully washing it down with a wipe. >> and then we move on to the personal items. >> yes. >> kids share hats. >> bad. >> sharing brushes. >> lice is a big problem in school and can get very contagious very quickly. never share a comb, a brush, a hat, if possible. >> lip balm is the worst, and girls especially, lipsticks, lip gloss, love to try each other's shades, not a good idea. >> girls love to share things. guys don't. >> they do. >> let me try that, no. >> but even guys, you know, hear a good song, wouldn't their friend to put one ear bud in their ear, not a good idea to share anything that's touching your nose, face, mouth. >> in the classroom, a lot of art supplies.

>> a lot of art supplies and at any given time there's someone sick or harboring a cold. give the kids their own supply, own pencils and sharpeners and erasers, the pencil sharpener is something that can get really germy in a school. >> never thought about that. >> best defense, make sure kids are wash, washing and wash again. many don't wash. >> many don't wash and they don't wash properly. scrub the back of the hand, in between the fingers for 20 second, the happy birthday song twice. use soap and a paper towel to dry off and use the paper towel to close the faucet. >> and put one of these in their backpack. >> somewhere where there's no sink available, at least they will have the hand sanitizer. >> here's hoping the kids don't bring anything fun home. >> that's exactly right. >> still ahead, fall pasta recipes for dinner tonight. but first, this is "today" on nbc. this message. experiences classrooms. sizes don't matter... by 20%. teaching to some test... he personally cannot relate to. education, children.

. this morning in "today's kitchen," a hearty pasta is on the menu. our chef recently won a pasta battle on "iron chef." good morning. good to have you here. >> thank you very much. >> such a perfect time of year for a hearty pasta death. is that why you like it? >> cold weather setting in, brisk mornings that you're not used to. at dinnertime you look for something more filling and comforting and hearty. >> all about that. >> you're making a pasta bolognese with a white sauce instead. >> won't use tomatoes. >> something you'd find more traditionally in the north at wintertime. goes great with anything, especially great with truffles. those trends start right now and go through the wintertime. >> excellent. let's get started. what did we do first? >> ground meat, veal, chicken,

some pork and some pancetta. brown that off. remove the oil, add a refresher and brown the vegetables. >> in fresh oil, the vegetables. >> we want to reuse the pan, you know, because there's flavor on the bottom so you want to keep all that flavor in the pot. >> absolutely. >> what we do is we sweat this down. we'd add the meat back. >> okay. >> you can smell it already. >> smells amazing. >> and then -- >> like that, saute up. >> for about 10, 15 minutes. we end up with this. this is everything rendered out. >> okay. >> and it's everything softened, so what we do now is add some chicken broth. >> okay. >> and we add heavy cream. >> heavy cream. >> don't worry about the cream. >> we're going to reduce this, so like only having half of it. >> oh, sure. >> can't reduce it once it hits the waistline, right? not so easy. >> basically it looks a little

bit like a stew. cook this down to a sauce consistency. the cream reduces the fat and everything melds together. one of the garnishes for this is fried sage leaves. >> love that. >> in the fall you think about rosemary and sage, a little bit of hot oil, and we just pop them in there. >> just like that. that easy. >> when you're done with this oil, can you save it and use it to cook with because it's seasoned with sage. >> do it until they curl up. really want color, and then we put them on a paper towel to dry. >> such a nice garnish, you're right, perfect crispness on top. >> sprinkle a little of sea salt and move it back for garnish. >> you've made some fresh pasta noodles, is that right? >> i use fresh pasta. you can buy it in the store. >> just as fine. >> change the shape. >> if you want to undertake the task at home to make it. >> task at home of making your own pasta. which al roker loves to do. >> i do that in my spare time, thank you. >> exactly. we have the bolognese here.

>> that looks amazing. >> a little bit of olive oil on top. >> a little bit of grated cheese and top it with a lill bit of peccarino. >> finished here. >> finished product here, fresh parmesan and with the sage, a you mentioned, which is great. >> what other dishes? >> the orrichete, the vegetable of fall. >> and i love these. >> the presentation on these alone. >> has escarole and pancetta and fresh ricotta. >> means good eating for us. >> coming up, maggie gyllenhaal stops by to visit kathie lee and hoda but first your local news and weather.

9:57 is your time now. preliminary test results are expected today that could show why a giant panda cub die at the national zoo. the zoo is holding a live news conference. watch it live on our website nbcwashington.com. a check on the forecast now with meteorologist veronica johnson. a chilly start. >> we'll be warming up pretty good. high today of 71 degrees.

right now, we're at 63. we've got a light northwest wind currently at 8 miles an hour. look at temperatures throughout the area. going up to high of 70. 71 to 70 today. >> still keeping an eye on maryland avenue at falls road. all your lanes are blocked because of the accident there involving a school bus reportedly with minor injuries. still seeing delays in our area. slow from 50 as you make your way to i-95. >> don't forget to tune in to